We are planning a trip through Poland and the Czech Republic later this year. Why Poland? Well, it’s one of the few countries that neither of us been to – Sue has visited more than 90 over the years – and it comes highly recommended.
Also, we will be in Europe anyway, for work, so we were already more than halfway there. We had a chat with people who have lived there and checked out a couple of websites and came up with a plan to fly into Warsaw, then go to Krakow and Wroclaw, all by train before crossing the border to Prague in Czechia and then flying out.
I factored in four days in Warsaw, then three each in Krakow and Wroclaw before taking the Baltic Express train to Prague in the Czech Republic.
Now, I’ve been experimenting with Artificial Intelligence recently and it occurred to me to test it against my spreadsheets and itineraries, perhaps to see if Claude.ai, our robot of choice, would have any better ideas.
Detailed Itinerary
“I am interested in modern political history (20th Century), the Cold War and art,” I told him (it?), adding my arrival and departure dates. “Where should I go and what should I see to make the most of my time?”
I am both gratified and slightly disappointed to say that Claude came up with an almost identical itinerary to my own, except he suggested a day-trip to Danzig, which I hadn’t considered.
Hmmm. Maybe he has been secretly reading my files. But then he offered to put together a more detailed list of places to see and go
Why not? I thought. ‘Yes, please,’ I replied, despite knowing that politeness is not required when dealing with Artificial Intelligenge.
So then he came back with a list of to-dos that were sensibly spaced out, basically one each in the morning, afternoon and evening. Allowing for diversions as and when the opportunities arose: that is my style of laid-back travel.
The final AI itinerary is reproduced below. Now, I am aware that AI is far from 100 per cent reliable. I recently had to correct a post on our other website (flatchat.com.au) which has AI generated information that was plainly false.
I also know that AI is plundering copyrighted material, like at least three of my books and many of my newspaper articles, for its own uncredited and unpaid purposes.
I’m also aware that AI probably won’t be much help when you’ve lost your passport and tickets, or had your phone and credit cards nicked, or been refused entry at an American airport for posting something nasty about President Trump on Instagram.
But I love the fact that I can plan to go into a country I don’t know and within seconds have a basic guide to get me started and not have to be chained to a bunch of fellow travellers, being rushed in buses from one must-see venue to the next.
By the way, when we get to Krakow, we will be checking in with Tour Tailor Krakow and Zuzanna (who is featured in the video above).
Will AI replace travel agents? I don’t think so. They are more likely to use it as a starting point before curating your trip, only with the addition of reliable suggestions and actual plane, train and hotel bookings that AI can’t provide.
By the way, I asked Claude to suggest some “trendy boutique hotels” in a certain price range and gave me a list of a dozen but said he didn’t have time to check the prices – honest! – and recommended I try Tripadvisor.
Sometimes Artificial Intelligence can sound way too much like a human for comfort.
We won’t be following this slavishly – we have a couple of walking tours of Prague lined up already – but this would have been a great start to my planning… had I done this before I hit the spreadsheet.
Here’s the final itinerary from Claude, but with dates removed for obvious reasons.
Poland & Czech Republic Itinerary
Modern Political History, Cold War, and Art Focus
POLAND
Warsaw
Day 1
Morning: Orientation walk through Warsaw’s reconstructed Old Town (UNESCO site) to appreciate the context of the city’s destruction and rebuilding
- Afternoon: Warsaw Rising Museum – comprehensive exhibition on the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against Nazi occupation
- Evening: Stroll along the Royal Route to see key historical buildings
Day 2
- Morning: Palace of Culture and Science – iconic Communist-era skyscraper, Stalin’s “gift” to Warsaw
- Afternoon: POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews – award-winning museum covering 1000 years of history including significant 20th century events
- Evening: Dinner in Praga district – formerly working-class area with interesting Cold War remnants
Day 3
- Morning: Museum of Life Under Communism – small but fascinating collection offering insight into everyday life during the Communist period
- Afternoon: Zachęta National Gallery of Art – major collection of modern Polish art
- Evening: Visit the former Communist Party Headquarters building (now hosting financial institutions)
Day 4
- Morning: Day trip to Gdańsk (3 hr train ride) – birthplace of Solidarity movement
- Afternoon: European Solidarity Centre – documenting the anti-communist opposition
- Evening: Return to Warsaw
Kraków
Day 5
- Morning: Train from Warsaw to Kraków (2.5 hours)
- Afternoon: Schindler’s Factory Museum – excellent exhibition on Kraków under Nazi occupation
- Evening: Explore Kazimierz (historic Jewish quarter)
Day 6
- Morning: Day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum (1.5 hr from Kraków)
- Afternoon: Continue Auschwitz visit
- Evening: Return to Kraków
Day 7
- Morning: MOCAK Museum of Contemporary Art
- Afternoon: Nowa Huta district tour – planned Socialist Realist suburb with excellent Cold War history
- Evening: Transfer to Wrocław (3.5 hr train ride)
Wrocław
Day 8
- Morning: Orientation walk around Market Square and University Quarter
- Afternoon: Centennial Hall – UNESCO World Heritage site and masterpiece of early 20th century architecture
- Evening: Stroll along the Oder River to see the illuminated city
Day 9
- Morning: Panorama of the Battle of Racławice – unique 360° painting
- Afternoon: National Museum in Wrocław – for art collections with significant 20th century works
- Evening: Search for politically significant dwarf statues throughout the city (Wrocław’s unique public art installation)
Day 10
- Morning: Visit to Solidarity Square – memorial to anti-communist resistance
- Midday: Direct train from Wrocław to Prague (4h 45m)
- Evening: Arrival in Prague, orientation walk around Old Town Square
CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague
Day 11
- Morning: Museum of Communism – overview of life during the Communist era
- Afternoon: Prague Castle complex and St. Vitus Cathedral (for historical context)
- Evening: Stroll across Charles Bridge at sunset
Day 12
- Morning: National Memorial to the Heroes of the Heydrich Terror (Church of St. Cyril and Methodius) – moving site related to the assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich
- Afternoon: Museum of 20th Century Czech History at the Vítkov National Monument
- Evening: Visit to Lucerna Passage (owned by Václav Havel’s family)
Day 13
- Morning: Nuclear Bunker Museum – Cold War relic
- Afternoon: DOX Centre for Contemporary Art
- Evening: Lennon Wall – symbol of resistance during Communist era
Day 14
- Morning: Wenceslas Square – site of 1968 Prague Spring demonstrations and 1989 Velvet Revolution
- Afternoon: Final explorations based on personal interests or return to favorite sites
- Evening: Departure
Would you ever think of using AI to plan your own overseas trip. Or would you rather go with a package tour or trust a travel agent?
Write to us at mail@mildrover.com and we’ll publish your thoughts (and maybe some experimental itineraries).
